IMS announces official pace car, driver for Indianapolis 500

During a novel year in car racing wherever partner support has been essential to stay races running, the capital of Indiana Motor Speedway embraced a mixture of past and gift in Wed morning's reveal of the 2020 capital of Indiana five hundred car and driver.

IMS president Doug Boles helped unveil this year's automobile, a Torch Red 2020 Chevrolet warship ray auto, within the temple Plaza, with an enormous hassle emblem within the background — the primary time the speedway's 100-foot video board on the rear of the temple has gotten official use since Roger Penske welcome it during this offseason.

The announcement continues the 500's long-running partnership with one amongst the series' 2 engine makers. This year marks the seventeenth time the hassle warship has served because the Indy five hundred car, prior all alternative cars since its debut in 1978, creating it the foremost well-liked automobile complete or model ever to guide the eleven rows of thirty three to the inexperienced flag for the best Spectacle in sport.

A Chevrolet automobile has been chosen to guide the Indy five hundred thirty one times, qualitative analysis back to 1948, once a Fleetmaster Six convertible junction rectifier the means.

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"We were hopeful once we knew the C8 was planning to commence, that hassle would be ready to build it the car for this year's Indy five hundred," Boles told IndyStar. "We love the link with hassle, and to own a bran-new product, particularly a bran-new performance product just like the C8 at IMS, it's simply very fitting to focus on the link and therefore the performance reference to a automobile that drives on the road and with ones that vie."

The pace car's options include:

All-new mid-engine LT2 half dozen.2L V8 engine

8-Speed twin Clutch transmission

Z51 performance package

Corvette accent spoiler and ground effects package

Carbon Flash exterior accents and badge package

GT2 Bucket Seats

Unique Indy five hundred Livery

Set to man the driver's seat for the Aug. twenty three race is General Motors president Mark Reuss, breaking a recent  trend of abidance moving picture or TV stars or athletes past or gift. But, as Boles explained, given the weird circumstances around this year's Indy five hundred, which is able to be command outside the month of might and while not fans gift each for the primary times within the race's 109-year history, abidance a old partner like gram gave the look of the correct work.

Boles mentioned that Reuss had been mentioned as a doable driver within the past, too.

"We haven't had a much bigger advocate for motorsports — not only for the capital of Indiana Motor Speedway or IndyCar, however motorsports across the board," aforementioned Boles of Reuss. "Mark understands the worth of motorsports for his or her complete and for marketing cars."

Added Reuss, via a news release: “It’s really AN honor to own the chance to be behind the wheel of the mid-engine warship car at such a historic race because the Indy five hundred."

With everybody apart from essential personnel, choose media and track and series members forced to observe this year's race on TV, innumerable pairs of eyes can doubtless air Reuss right before 2:30 p.m. on Aug. twenty three as he turns laps on the two.5-mile oval. The gram president can hope now around in an exceedingly car goes higher than a trial at Motor City simply over 2 years agone.

Ahead of the beginning of the second race within the double feature weekend, Reuss spun within the warship ZR1 into the flip two wall front-first on the streets of missy islet. IndyCar official Mark Sandy was within the traveller seat for the accident, wherever the airbags deployed. each were taken to the parcel care center, wherever they were checked and cleared.

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In a statement, Chevrolet aforementioned, "It is unfortunate that this incident happened. several factors contributed, together with weather and track conditions. The car’s safety systems performed obviously."

Reuss had driven the car multiple times antecedently for the missy islet Grand Prix and had been trained and earned certification for driving superior cars. once the race, contender can Power aforementioned the flip Reuss lost management in is usually notably tough.

"I felt very dangerous for whoever was within the car," Power aforementioned once the 2018 race. "It's terribly straightforward to try to to as you think again that crest, and therefore the traction management should are turned off. So yeah, I felt — it wasn't very his fault. It's simply such a foul corner. Like it's totally straightforward to try to to."

That day, Reuss joined AN unfortunate club of drivers that have spun and crashed IndyCar pace cars within the past, together with Arie Luyendyk (in the rain at Toronto in 2014) and grayback Rutherford (at American state in 1999). maybe the foremost disreputable incidence came simply before the beginning of the 1971 Indy five hundred.

That day, Eldon golf player, owner of AN Indianapolis-area Dodge business organisation, nearly killed lensman Russ Lake once the brakes on the Dodge contestant he was driving fast up and therefore the automobile rammed into a camera stand at nearly sixty mph. Lake calculable he fell concerning eight feet and came away with a broken leg and hip that hospitalized him for 6 weeks.

All-time list of Indy five hundred car drivers

2020: Mark Reuss

2019: valley Earnhardt Jnr.

2018: Victor Oladipo

2017: Jeffrey Dean Morgan

2016: Roger Penske

2015: Jeff Gordon

2014: Dario Franchitti

2013: Jim Harbaugh

2012: Guy Fierei

2011: A.J. Foyt (Mari Hulman George passenger)

2010: Robin Roberts

2009: ride Duhammel

2008: writer Fittipaldi

2007: Patrict prizefighter

2006: Lance Armstrong

2005: General Colin Powell

2004: Morgan citizen

2003: Herb Fishel

2002: Jim Caviezel

2001: Elaine Irwin Mellencamp

2000: Anthony Edwards

1999: Jay Leno

1998: Parnelli Jones

1997: grayback Rutherford

1996: Bob Lutz

1995: Jim Perkins

1994: Parnelli Jones

1993: Jim Perkins

1992: policeman Unser

1991: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Shelby

1990: Jim Perkins

1989: policeman Unser

1988: Chuck Yeager

1987: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Shelby

1986: Check Yeager

1985: James Garner

1984: John Callies

1983: Duke Nalon

1982: Jim Rathmann

1981: Duke Nalon

1980: Johnnie Parsons

1979: Jackie Stewart

1978: Jim Rathmann

1977: James Garner

1976: Marty Robbins

1975: James Garner

1974: Jim Rathmann

1973: Jim Rathmann

1972: Jim Rathmann

1971: Eldon golf player

1970: Rodger Ward

1969: Jim Rathmann

1968: William Clay Ford Sr.

1967: Mauri Rose

1966: Benson Ford

1965: P.M. Buckminster

1964: Benson Ford

1963: surface-to-air missile Hanks

1962: surface-to-air missile Hanks

1961: surface-to-air missile Hanks

1960: surface-to-air missile Hanks

1959: surface-to-air missile Hanks

1958: surface-to-air missile Hanks

1957: F.C. Reith

1956: L.I. Woolson

1955: Thomas H. Keating

1954: William C. Newburg

1953: William Clay Ford Sr.

1952: P.O. Peterson

1951: David A. Wallace

1950: Benson Ford

1949: Wilbur Shaw

1948: Wilbur Shaw

1947: George W. Mason

1946: Henry Ford II

1941: A.B. Couture

1940: Harry Hartz

1939: Charles Chayne

1938: Stuart Baits

1937: Ralph DePalma

1936: Tommy John Milton

1935: Harry raincoat

1934: Willard “Big Boy” radiolocation

1933: Byron Foy

1932: Edsel Ford

1931: Willard “Big Boy” radiolocation

1930: Wade Morton

1929: George Hunt

1928: Joe Dawson

1927: Willard “Big Boy” radiolocation

1926: Joseph Louis Barrow Chevrolet

1925: combat pilot

1924: Lew Pettijohn

1923: Fred Duesenberg

1922: race driver

1921: Harry C. Stutz

1920: race driver

1919: Jess G Vincent

1916: Frank E. Smith

1915: Carl Fisher

1914: Carl Fisher

1913: Carl Fisher

1912: Carl Fisher

1911: Carl Fisher